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Ongoing project

½¿É«µ¼º½ and the National Year of Reading

20 Mar 2026

½¿É«µ¼º½ is proud to ‘Go All In’ and pledge support for the

This page details some of the initiatives that ½¿É«µ¼º½ has undertaken in the past and present to support research into the teaching of reading and student engagement in reading and literacy, including:

The heart of learning: Spotlight on school libraries in the UK and Ireland

What if the most important room in a school isn’t a classroom, but the one that unlocks every other door to learning? In schools with well-funded and professionally staffed libraries, student achievement and wellbeing rises – yet thousands of young people still attend schools without one.

This ½¿É«µ¼º½ Blog Special Issue coincides with National Year of Reading 2026 and recent policy initiatives to improve school library access and to encourage reading for pleasure.

Read here

½¿É«µ¼º½ Book Choices

We asked ½¿É«µ¼º½ trustees and members of the ½¿É«µ¼º½ office team to tell us about an inspirational childhood book that resonates with them and why. Each month, we will feature two new responses.Ìý

March Selections

Aimee Quickfall – ½¿É«µ¼º½ Trustee

Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve – ÌýThis book is set in a post-apocalyptic world where a sudden and cataclysmic war has upset the very foundations of the Earth, and subsequently the major cities and towns have had engines and wheels attached so these enormous ‘mortal engines’ can travel across continents avoiding earthquakes and volcanoes. Inevitably, super-massive cities on wheels develop ‘municipal darwinism’, devouring smaller towns for parts and resources… I highly recommend this book to children and adults, even if you think you don’t like magical realism. It is such a creative, intriguing story with a very human plot and beautifully drawn characters, and perfect for escaping into a fantastical place with many recognisable and familiar landmarks and situations. It is particularly good for sparking philosophy with children (and adults) debate around technology, progress, sustainability and what it is to be human.Ìý

David Chatterjee – ½¿É«µ¼º½ Office

My current favourite book is The GruffaloÌýby Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler. I have a 15-month old son who I love reading it to, doing all the different voices and seeing his reaction to each of the animals. It is a wonderful rhyming story and the quick-witted mouse is a firm favourite in my house. Ìý

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Aimee Quickfall, Professor

Professor and Director of Initial Teacher Education at Durham University

Aimee is a research professor and Director of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) at Durham University, a member of ½¿É«µ¼º½ Council, one of the ½¿É«µ¼º½ SIG leads for Mental Health and Wellbeing, and Chair of the ½¿É«µ¼º½ Conference and Events Committee. Her...

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David Chatterjee, Mr

Finance and Governance Manager at British Educational Research Association

I am ½¿É«µ¼º½'s Finance and Governance Manager. Contact me via [email protected] David joined ½¿É«µ¼º½ as Finance and Administration Officer in April 2017, before moving into the role of Finance and Governance Manager in 2019. David’s main...

National Year of Reading: ½¿É«µ¼º½ Book Choices

We asked ½¿É«µ¼º½ trustees and members of the ½¿É«µ¼º½ office team to tell us about an inspirational childhood book that resonates with them and why. Each month, we will feature two new responses.

Read here

To read, or not to read?

How diverse practices, perspectives and experiences shape our reading engagement

This ½¿É«µ¼º½ Blog special issue discusses diverse practices, perspectives and experiences that influence reading engagement among children, young people and adults. It draws upon a number of current research projects from the University of Edinburgh’s Literacy Lab. Within this lab, researchers collaborate with children, young people, teachers and other professionals to seek to better understand and support literacy experiences and outcomes.

Read here

Creating a united literacy research community

Sarah McGeown, Fiona Maine and Cathy Burnett

Literacy researchers working across different disciplinary traditions often share a core interest in how to support children and young people’s reading experiences and outcomes. Yet despite our...

Blog post20 Aug 2024

English in Education

The English in Education SIG is a forum for researchers to investigate what is a broad and complex area of knowledge: our starting point is the school subject of English, but we embrace many...

Special Interest Group

½¿É«µ¼º½ Volunteers

½¿É«µ¼º½ staff have undertaken some volunteer work in local schools as part of our pledge to support the National Year of Reading.

Heidi Hollowbread – ½¿É«µ¼º½ Office

In National Storytelling Week (2nd to 8th February 2026). I volunteered at Moulsham Junior School in Chelmsford, Essex. I previously taught at this school between 2008 and 2015. I selected a variety of texts to share with the children across the Key Stage 2 age range and read each class a favourite chapter to draw them in to the tale.

Year 3 – The Fib by George Layton

Year 4 – Emil & the Detectives by Erich Kästner

Year 5 – Ingo by Helen Dunmore

Year 6 – A Series of Unfortunate Events – A Bad Beginning by Lemony Snickett

These were all books that I had read to my own classes during my teaching career. It was great to share them with new audiences and discover that the stories selected had all stood the test of time and retained their appeal.

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Heidi Hollowbread, Ms

½¿É«µ¼º½ Administrator at British Educational Research Association

Heidi joined the ½¿É«µ¼º½ team in May 2023, providing administrative support to the association. Heidi's previous career in teaching spanned more than twenty years. She taught throughout the primary age range and beyond. She held positions in the...

Developing readers, developing selves

Kathryn Murray

The process of reading actually changes the neural connections in our brains, enabling new thought processes to form and develop our thinking (Wolf, 2008). Indeed, the experience and act of...

Blog post24 May 2019

Teaching reading: what are our long term goals?

Teresa Cremin

In the light of the House of Commons Education Committee Inquiry into the purpose and quality of education, I’ve been pondering on the primary profession’s long-term goals for teaching reading...

Blog post21 Jan 2016

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